Experts’ Maryland Million day selections

  • userThe Biz
  • dateOctober 22, 2022

It’s Maryland Million day 2022, and what a fantastic card the Laurel Park racing office has put together: a dozen races with full fields just about everywhere you look.

Eight of the 12 are stakes, while the other four are starter events. We asked some of our experts for their selections for the eight major stakes. Here’s what they had to say:

RACE 3: MARYLAND MILLION TURF SPRINT

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
5. Grateful Bred5. Grateful Bred(AE) 10. Justwaveandsmile1. Rock the Boat
2. Sky’s Not Falling1. Rock the Boat7. Island Philo5. Grateful Bred
(AE) 10. Justwaveandsmile3. Cynergy’s Star(AE) 9. Can the Queen2. Sky’s Not Falling

Grateful Bred has the shortest odds of any horse on the card: 3-5 on the morning line. Yet our pickers see it as a more complicated scene than that. Who can beat him? Rock the Boat was just two lengths behind him in this event last year, and Sky’s Not Falling finished second in that event.

RACE 4: MARYLAND MILLION NURSERY

How wide open is the Nursery? Morning line favorite Lost Weekend is just 3-1 on the morning line — and none of our pickers pick him on top. Instead, two of them prefer trainer Dale Capuano’s other runner, Johnyz From Albany. Love also directed at last out maiden breaker Wildhunch and Brittany Russell trainee Heldish.

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
4. Heldish7. Johnyz From Albany11. Wildhunch7. Johnyz From Albany
3. Paymengold9. Lost Weekend7. Johnyz From Albany9. Lost Weekend
7. Johnyz From Albany1. Bestsugardaddyever1. Bestsugardaddyever11. Wildhunch

RACE 6: MARYLAND MILLION LADIES

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
7. Coconut Cake5. Amplio Esquema2. Maldives Model4. Gamestonks
2. Maldives Model10. Double Fireball7. Coconut Cake1. My Thoughts
1. My Thoughts1. My Thoughts5. Amplio Esquema2. Maldives Model

Fillies and mares on the lawn and another wide open heat beckons: our pickers land on four different horses in the top spot, including morning line fave Coconut Cake, Lyphard winner Maldives Model, Amplio Esquema, and first-time turfer Gamestonks.

RACE 7: MARYLAND MILLION DISTAFF

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
1. Fille d’Esprit6. Wicked Hot6. Wicked Hot7. Fool Yourself
2. Malibu Beauty1. Fille d’Esprit1. Fille d’Esprit1. Fille d’Esprit
(AE) 11. Edie Meeny Miny Mo7. Fool Yourself2. Malibu Beauty8. Summer Odds

One of the card’s strongest favorites is Fille d’Esprit, who enters off a bit of a disappointing run in the Roamin Rachel on a sloppy surface she may not have liked. But two of our pickers land instead on the lightly raced Wicked Hot, who ran two bang up races before running a clunker last out at a sloppy Spa. Very little respect shown by our pickers for morning line second choice Malibu Beauty.

RACE 8: MARYLAND MILLION LASSIE

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
4. Bosserati4. Bosserati5. Cynergy’s Electra13. Cocktail Dreaming
6. Chickieness5. Cynergy’s Electra6. Chickieness10. Malibu Moonshine
11. Blome11. Blome10. Malibu Moonshine3. Skylar’s Sister

Bombs away? Two of our pickers land on 10-1 shot Bosserati, an impressive debut winner at Timonium before a disappointing try against winners as the favorite. In fact, all of our pickers land on outsiders here, with some love for 15-1 Cynergy’s Electra — a late-running third on debut — and 15-1 Cocktail Dreaming.

RACE 9: MARYLAND MILLION TURF

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
8. Cannon’s Roar6. Rhumjar8. Cannon’s Roar13. Crabs N Beer
7. Midnight Hauler8. Cannon’s Roar11. Wicked Prankster12. Nick Papagiorgio
3. Mr. d’Angelo4. So Street7. Midnight Hauler8. Cannon’s Roar

Two of our pickers will grab morning line choice Cannon’s Roar to snap a losing streak that reaches back to 2020, despite a number of good efforts in the interim. Two others take the opposite approach, landing on 20-1 Rhumjar in his first turf outing and 10-1 Crabs N Beer, a flashy winner in an off-the-turf allowance in last.

RACE 10: MARYLAND MILLION SPRINT

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
11. Fortheluvofbourbon9. Goldenize11. Fortheluvofbourbon11. Fortheluvofbourbon
14. Alwaysinahurry8. Karan’s Notion13. Elusive Agent14. Alwaysinahurry
7. Hemp11. Fortheluvofbourbon12. Air Token9. Goldenize

On paper, the Sprint is Fortheluvofbourbon’s to lose, and our ‘cappers agree: three of four have him on top and all have him on the ticket. Also some love for 30-1 Goldenize on the cutback. Defending champ Air Token is a scratch.

RACE 11: MARYLAND MILLION CLASSIC

Derby Bill WatsonEric RubinJoe ParisiGary Quill
3. Double Crown6. The Poser(AE) 12. Cordmaker4. Torch of Truth
8. Crouchelli7. Vance Scholars2. Tappin Cat3. Double Crown
(AE) 12. Cordmaker5. Ain’t Da Beer Cold3. Double Crown5. Ain’t Da Beer Cold

Even though our pickers love him, Cordmaker will not draw into the Classic. Instead… there looks to be plenty of pace in this nine-furlong contest, which might be good news for later sorts like The Poser and Torch of Truth. Those two finished third and fourth in this event a year ago, respectively, with Prendimi and Tappin Cat taking the top two slots.

Our handicappers are:

  • Derby Bill Watson, former on-air analyst at Colonial Downs and legendary horseplayer.
  • Eric Rubin, host of the Better Betting podcast.
  • Joe Parisi, Delaware Park handicapper for The Racing Biz.
  • Gary Quill, cohost of the Better Betting podcast and formerly Maryland analyst for The Racing Biz.

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